Insist the Government keep its target to reduce child poverty in the UK

I've got two children. My husband and I are both in full time employment but we still struggle. Anyone bringing up children will know the heartache of having to say to no to something your child wants.

I dread Christmas; I hate it when I notice their trainers have got a hole in, or they bring another letter home from school needing money for a trip. Food seems to be the only expense we have immediate control over, so that budget gets squeezed, and our home isn't as warm as we would like through the winter.

So when I heard that the Government is planning to give up on its duty to reduce child poverty, by scrapping child poverty targets, I was shocked. That's why I started this petition with support from Child Poverty Action Group to make sure the Government keeps its target to reduce child poverty.

Instead of admitting they won’t hit that target in 2020, the Government has introduced a new bill that would ignore child poverty completely and instead monitor 'life chances’ such as whether parents are in work and how well kids do at their GCSEs.

But I know from experience that even if both parents work hard, you can still be poor.

If poverty measures are solely based on parents working and achievement at GCSE level then no one will know about children like mine who grow up missing out on things their friends take for granted. Children in poverty already feel poor and disadvantaged, why should they also be unnoticed?

We must not let this government side step their accountability, their responsibility, their duty to the children of this country. There is plenty of evidence that shows the way poverty affects children: it leads to shorter, sicklier lives, lower educational achievement, higher rates of mental health issues, social exclusion and low self-esteem.

The Bill that makes these changes will soon be voted on in the House of Lords – and we know from the Tax Credits defeat that the House of Lords are not afraid to say no! We have an opportunity to change things, if we act now and tell the Lords to make sure the Government keep child poverty targets.

Please sign this petition to insist that the Government continues to act on child poverty.